As with all great concepts, this one is followed by an exclamation of “why didn’t I think of that?” Or perhaps you have, but only lacked in the execution. In this case, the Inamo restaurant in the West side of London has nailed both the concept and the execution in melding (presumably) snooty dining with cutting edge stuff that will appeal to both sides of the social divide.

                                             The restaurant and bar looks utterly normal from the outside.

Inamo centers its cuisine on the concept of customer control and a smart application of display technology. With a projected display on each diner’s table for the customer to browse through, and graphical representations of the menu items, the old method of leafing through a “hard copy” menu and relying on pictures for a preview seems quaint in comparison. Not only that, the projected images serves as an extensive menu system for changing the lighting or theme of your immediate dining area, or even as a means to explore the neighborhood around the restaurant or call up services directly from the restaurant.

                                             Inside there's some strange ceiling fixtures and normal (albeit colorful) tables.

This could be a boon for tourist types looking for a new kick in their dining, and at the very least will generate lots of interest from most technological quarters (hungry geeks?). It is possible however that after the initial flurry is over, whether this type of interface becomes the norm or not is almost irrelevant, if Inamo did not back up this newfangled concept with solid, delicious dining. Which it (again presumably, since I haven’t actually been there) does when it employed one of Britain’s “finest Oriental fusion chefs in Anthony Sousa Tam (ex Atami, Nobu and Hakkasan) [who] brings a world-class level of experience and finesse to Inamo.” – as described on Inamos website found on http://www.inamo-restaurant.com/.

                                              Here we have a waiter seemingly arranging...hoops around the dishes!

The design process leading to the look and feel of the restaurant was also a long process, the menu and display system, while remaining central to the restaurant’s cutting-edge concept, is backed by what Inamo terms as “warmth, vibrancy, charm and theatre” – keywords that guide every design detail during the restaurant’s construction. It’s unfortunate however that there’s no in-depth description of the menu and display system – something I’d like to see as a tech guy.

                                             It becomes clearer from here - the strange ceiling decorations are actually projectors thatproduce different displays and representations of the food onto your table.

Regardless, the whole concept of this restaurant is alluring, to say the least, and I can imagine a lot of possibilities for the application of this technology. Although service is reportedly good (less waiting required) a bit of gaming capability might not be amiss for twitchy diners waiting for the real food to arrive. Movie playback or news updates might also be a possibility, going against one of the most important rules of many mothers around the world – don’t watch and eat! Well, perhaps they can make an exception this time.

                                             The hoops in action again. Note the artful placement of the chopsticks on the "rim" of the "bowl".

Even with just a preview of the food you ordered, this display technology is evidence of a smart cookie behind the restaurant – nothing can be more off-putting than a menu with just names and descriptions. With this display technology, the service and the enticement of food starts when you sit down, not only when your food arrives.

                                             Too bad there's no description of the (probably proprietary) technology behind the display system - here's a glimpse of the menu system.